Good Customer Service Pays Off

Have you ever experienced the punch in the gut that is bad customer service? Customers have long memories and it only takes one bad experience to turn them against your business forever.

You don't have to be a small business to feel the pinch of a sour reccommendation or thumbs-down from an angry customer. People talk to family members, coworkers, church members and strangers about the experiences they have had with bad customer service. The horrific stories of how your employees handle customers gets passed on and on...this negative publicity could haunt your business for years to come.

Jill Homer of http://www.customerservicepoint.com/ makes a sad point: bad customer service has become all to normal in our society. One could speculate as to why this might be. I suppose there are a number of viable reasons: cities are large, unfriendly, and impersonal places; the values that encourage patience and kindness have been lost amid a sea of performance objectives, sales quotas and a number of other marketplace ideals; and people aren't trained properly to perform adequate customer service tasks. Whatever the reason may be, poor customer service is enough to damage any small business.

Here are three great ways to provide good customer service:

1. Take pride in your product/service and let that pride stand out!

Any customer can tell when an employee that hates their job. They will sabbotage a sale by being rude or unenthusiastic; they will fail to adequately address customer concerns, or worse, complain about the company's defective products or unreliable service - bad staff costs small business thousands of dollars a year.

Screen incoming employees to make sure that their customer service skills are more than just adequate. Company loyalty and pride is worth investing in: instill company values in workers and break down the mission statement and why it is vital to job success.

Teach workers that customer service is a company priority and that bad customer service will not be tolerated. Personnel that are proud of their company's values, products and services will do a better job of conveying those values to any customer.

2. Be open to negotiation.

Customers hate by-the-book companies and the people who represent them. Every situation is not alike. If you have a restaurant, be open to substitutions. If you have a repair shop, offer a discount to repeat customers. Show customers that you appreciate their business by treating them as individuals and dealing with them on a case-by-case basis.

3. Be on time all the time!

Customer perception can be irreperably damaged if they perceive that your business does not stand by its word. Customers rely on businesses to provide services in a timely and efficient manner, anything less is unprofessional.

Don't let your customers down by missing deadlines and showing up late.

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Building "Relationship Capital" is a Key to Success

All businesses deal with people-from the biggest Fortune 500s to the smallest mom and pop enterprises. Thus, it is integral that business owners and employees become excellent managers of interpersonal relationships in every way-from communication to problem solving. But, clients are not the only ones who benefit from a positive interpersonal connections with the owners and executives of the businesses they encounter. Your dedicated staff can either help usher your company into success or be a key to your company's failures and it's all based upon how well you manage relationships with those under your employ. This is called "relationship capital." The more relationship capital you have-the more security you have. As allbusiness.com notes: "It takes everyone involved to make a business successful, and as the lead operator in your business, you're responsible for ensuring that each employee understands his or her importance to your business's success."

Here are 4 tips to help you build and maintain strong and positive relationships with your employees:

1. Be an open communicator. Maintain two-way communication between you and your staff. Keep a locked box in the break room where employees can leave comments and concerns anonymously and then make a concerted effort to discuss some of them at monthly employee meetings. Set aside one Friday a month to hang out with your staff after work. Take them to dinner or go out for casual drinks and just listen. Get to know your staff's wants, needs and anxieties and you will be one step closer to bettering the work environment and alleviating problems and concerns. Remember that keeping your staff happy is a priority to your business's success.

2. Keep your promises. Let your staff know that they matter to you by remembering what you promised to do. Whether you promised to give a day off or a big raise-it is your responsibility and obligation to give it to them when they ask for it. Failing to keep your word will not only damage the trust between you and those under your employ, but, it will eventually cause you to lose employees you can count upon.

3. Don't be afraid to admit your weaknesses. Employees will respect you more if you are candid. A good leader is not better for pretending to be perfect and free of error. When you admit your failures, you capitalize upon the opportunity to expose your human side and relate to your employees. Also, you communicate to your employees that you don't expect absolute perfection from them.

4. Always say thank you. Failure to show appreciation for the hard work, extra hours and unfailing dedication of your staff is one of the worst mistakes you can make. You may not always reward good work with bonuses, but, saying thank you will go a long way towards keeping up the busy worker's morale. Be specific in your praise, zero in on something they did with a particular client or job assignment. Take the holidays as an opportunity to give your employees gifts and bonuses to show how much you appreciate their hard work.

For more wonderful tips on how to make your business better, please email betterbizservices@yahoo.com OR visit our website: http://www.betterbizservices.com and review our list of products and services.

The Psychology of Marketing

What does psychology have to do with marketing, you may wonder. The best marketing and sales professionals have a basic understanding of psychology. Ask yourself: what is it that people truly want. What are their desires and motivations? What truly drives them? Once you have found the answers to these questions and more-you are ready to be a successful marketer. Knowing what your customers are thinking is one sure-fire way to position yourself to provide it to them.

Thus, your product is not at the center of your marketing campaign, but, your customer is. Your product is merely a backdrop to the central object-so, treat it as such. Position your marketing so that you realize how your product can make their lives easier, healthier, more romantic-and in general, more complete.

You are not selling just a comfy couch but you are selling the idea of luxury and elegance...this particular couch is one item upon which your customer's life will revolve for a long time to come. Whether it's in the living room or the family room- it is undoubtedly one of the first items anyone will notice. Paint a picture of that luxury and elegance that your customer has been seeking. The car shopper interested in purchasing the SUV is not so much interested in purchasing 4-wheel drive as she is interested in purchasing the idea of convienience and amenities. The good marketer will always have the ideals of the consumer foremost in mind. Therefore, always make sure to keep broad motivations in mind when planning your marketing campaign.

Just as there are good things to do in a marketing campaign, there are also several traps to avoid. Here are three big ones!

1. Failure to market to a defined group is a big no-no. Always make sure to find your target audience and direct your marketing efforts to that specific audience. Trying to appeal to everyone at all times typically does not work. As the age old saying goes-no one wants a "jack of all trades" who has "mastered none."

2. Also, having consistency in your marketing efforts is a good way to boost profits. You need to have the same look and feel across all of your ads, promotions, and overall marketing plan. If you're sending out any mail (even if it's to the telephone company)-make sure to take every effort to get your slogan and logo out there. Get specially made envelopes and make sure that every piece of paper that goes out from your company is equipped with your company's letterhead. This is just one cost-effective way to promote your business. Also, Hook up with some promotional advertising companies and come up with a way to make your direct mail campaigns really work for you. Get t-shirts and mugs with your logo ready for the holidays. Send out flashy pens with your next mailer to the big companies you hope to attract with your service. Add to that a follow up call and you're sure to be remembered.

BUT, make sure that you NEVER go overboard! If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. And too much hype will only turn a potential customer away. Do not insult your audience's intelligence with flowery gimmecks and puffed up language. Let your company stand out by building credibility with reliable service and great customer relationship-building. Make a lasting impression by paying attention to the small things that really count: quality, professionalism and efficiency.

Fore more tips on how to make your business better for much less, please email betterbizservices@yahoo.com OR check out the website to review our wonderful list of products and services at http://www.betterbizservices.com/.

Good luck!